Seed-planter



P.' A. MOKBE.

(No Model.)

SEED PLANTER.

515.555,551. Patented 5551-. 17, 18,95.

AN DREW BGRANAM4 PHUmLm10.wASHINGTON.D l;

'of Fig. 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

FRANCIS A. MCKEE, OF BELTON, TEXAS.

SEED-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,551, dated March 17, 1896. Application nea october 15,1595. s5ri51N5.555,7s5. da model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. MCKEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Belton, in the county of Bell and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in walking seed planters; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous construction, novel combination and adaptation of parts hereinafter described, and distinctly pointed out in the claim appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved planter. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the line a: @c of Fig. l. Figs. 3 and 4E are sections taken in the planes indicated by the linesy y and z c, respectively, Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view hereinafter referred to. Fig. G is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line w w of Fig. 5, and Fig. '7 is a detail perspective view of the ejector-wheel.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A indicates the body portion of my improved planter, Ywhich may comprise suitable side bars c, a cross-bar h, and the horizontal plate c, having the central opening d and the seedopening c, surrounded by the depending nipnl@ f- B indicates the beam, which is by preference formed by the two members g, which are fixedly connected to opposite sides of the body A, and are brought and suitably connected together in advance of said body and are designed at their forward end for the connection of a draft-animal, and C indicates the stand ard, which carries a suitable shovel-plow h at its lower end and has its upper end bifurcated, so as to form the branches t', which are pivotallyconnected to opposite sides of the body A, for a purpose presently described. This standard C has a strap D pivotally connected to it, and this strap is provided with a plurality of apertures j at its upper end, so as to permit of its being adj ustably connected by the bolt k to the beam B to hold the standard C at various angles of inclination to the body and regulate the depth of the plow-furrow. Said standard C is furthermore provided with a fixedly-connected arm E, which extends rearwardly from it and is provided at such rear end with an eye fm, as shown. This arm E is designed yto receive and hold the seed-spout F, which is preferably formed of leather and has its upper end suitably connected and surrounding the nipple f and its lower end arranged immediately in rear and partly beneath the shovel-plow, so that the deposited seed will be covered by the earth raised by the plow. It follows from this that the seed-spout F will be moved with the shank C and will be adj ustably xed when said shank is adjustably fixed in the manner before described.

G indicates the handles of the planter, which are connected with the beam B, preferably by the transverse bolt 7c, and extend rearwardly and upwardly on opposite sides of the seed-hopper, presently described, and are fixedly connected to bars n rising from the body A, and II indicates the rearwardly-extending frame, which is loosely connected at its forward end to the transverse shaft I, journaled in the body A. This frame II carries at its rear end the rotary shaft J, on which the traveling wheel K and the sprocket-wheel L are fixed. as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. The said sprocket-wheel L is connected by a chain M with a sprocket-wheel N on the transverse shaft I, and in consequence of this it will be observed that when the planter is in motion and the wheel K is rotated such movement will be transmitted to the shaft I to serve a purpose hereinafter pointed out.

In order to transmit motion from shaft L to shaft I through the medium of the chain M, it is necessary to keep said chain taut,

and to accomplish this end, as well as to regulate the chain to suit the different adjustments of the shank C, I provide the idlerwheel P, which engages the chain M, and is ad justably connected with the frame II, preferably in the manner shown in Fig. l.

Arranged in the opening d of the bodyplate c and loosely mounted on a bolt 1J and secured thereon, preferably by a nut, as shown, is a beveled gear-wheel q, which ICO meshes with a beveled gear-wheel r (see Fig. 3) on the shaft I, from which it gains its movement. This beveled gear q is provided with one or more upwardly-extending projections s, which are arranged oii its center and are designed to take into correspondinglyarranged apertures in the rotary seed-plate Q, so as to tix said plate, which is also loosely mounted on the bolt j), to said gear-wheel q. The said seed-plate Q is provided with the usual circular series of apertures t, and it is held down in position and in engagement with the gear-wheel q by the casting R, (better illustrated in Fi g. 5,) which is mounted on the bolt p, as shown. This casting R is provided with the ears u for the passage of screws which connect it to the body-plate c, and at its rear end it is provided with an ear if, through which passes the thumb-screw fw, which is provided to facilitate the removal of the casting, for a purpose presently described. Said casting hasthe seed-hopper S suitably connected to or formed integral with it, and it is provided with the openings 0c adjacent to its edge to permit the seed to pass down into the openings t of the seed-plate, and is furthermore provided with the pivoted spring-pressed block y, designed to even off the seed in the aperture t of plate Q, and with the piece .5, which rests above the block y and between which and said b lock the spring a is interposed, as shown.

A indicates an ejector-wheel which is carried by a strap B', )ivotally connected to the hopper S, (see Fig. 2,) and is arranged above the seed-opening e in the body-plate so as to force the seed out of the apertures t in the plate Q when they come above said opening e.

In using my improved planter a draft-ani mal is hitched to the beam B, and the planter with seed in its hopper S is driven along the line that it is designed to plant the seed, the driver walking behind and grasping the handles, so as to assist in keeping the plow in the ground. -With such a planter it will be readily observed that a large amount of seed along desired lines may be planted by a single draft and one man in a short space of time.

As will be understood from the foregoing description, the plate Q and the casting R are readily removable, and when desired said plate Q may be readily removed to give place to a plate having different size and differently-arran ged openings t. Indeed I contemplate in practice furnishing a plurality of plates Q with each planter, said plates being designed for planting thick and thin and for large and small seed. I also contemplate providing two seed boxes or hoppers with each machine, one being designed for cotton-seed and the other for corn and other smaller seed.

It will be further observed that when desired the seed-plate, casting R, and hopper or seed-box S may be readily removed and the machine used simply as a cultivator.

It will further be observed that when desired draft-animals` may be hitched to two planters, and they may be arranged side by side, so as to enable a single workman. to op erate them.

In order that the planter may be readily turned at the end of a row, I provide the hook T, which is loosely connected with the han` dles G and is designed to be hooked into the wheel K, so as to enable the operator to raise said wheel with the handles and thereby readily lift the planter around.

For the purpose of facilitating the movement of the planter from one place to another I provide the link \V,which,when not in use, may be carried upon one of the handles, as shown. This link IV has hooks at its ends, and such hooks are designed to be placed in engagement with the upper end of the strap D and the hanger which carries the idlerwheel I), so as to hold the plow above the ground and enable the planter to rest entirely upon the wheel K. In placing the link IV in engagement one of its ends is hooked under the upper portion oit strap D above the beam B. The handles G are then lifted and the wheel K is permitted to assume a position below the body A, when the other end of the link IV is hooked over the hanger-carrying wheel P. lVhen this is done, it will be seen that when the operator bears on the handles G the plow will be lifted from the ground. This, as will be readily observed, will permit of the planter being readily removed from one iield to another.

Having described my invention, what I claim isrlhe seedplanter described comprising the body having the seed-discharge opening e, and also having the opening CZ, the transverse shaft I, journaled in the body and having a gear-wheel r, the rotary seed-plate having apertures t, adapted to register with the opening e, and also having one or more apertures oit its center, the central vertical bolt p, carrying said seed-plate and having its lower end threaded and provided with a nut, the gear-wheel loosely mounted on said bolt and arranged in the opening CZ, and meshing with the gear-wheel r, and having one or more projections s, engaging the apertures in the seed-plate, the casting R, receiving the bolt p, the screw detachably connecting the casting R and the body, the hopper or seed-box connected to the casting R, the block y, pivotally connected to the casting R, and arranged above the seed-plate in the path of the seed-apertures therein and having a recess in its upper side, the piece .5', connected to the casting R, and arranged above the block y, the coiled spring arranged in the recess of block y, and interposed between said block and the piecez, a strip pivotally connected to the hopper or seed-box and carrying a wheel extending through the casting R, and adapted to enter the apertures in the seed-platc, the frame Il, loosely connected to the trans- IOO IIO

Verse shaft I, and extending rearwardly therefrom, the shaft J, journaled in said frame adjacent to its rear end and Carrying a Xed traveling wheel, sprocket-Wheels xed on the shafts I, and J, and a sprocket-chain oonnectng the same, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANCIS A. MQKEE. IVitnesses:

P. B. TAYLOR, E. E. UPSHAW. 

